


Practical

by MiniNephthys



Category: Fate/Zero
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-08
Updated: 2011-08-08
Packaged: 2017-10-22 09:32:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/236612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Waver is prepared for transferring mana, but not for this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Practical

It's a very simple idea, really. Rider needs more energy if he's going to successfully use his Noble Phantasm again, after his part in the battle against Caster. Waver is going to provide that energy. That's the long and short of it.

It takes only a moment after he proposes transferring mana to Rider for Rider to say, "No."

Waver bristles. "You don't want to get your strength back?! This is the most efficient option, so anyone with sense-!" He breaks off his ranting as he remembers. To a magus, sex is something he's prepared to have for energy and nothing else. This is a tool, a byproduct of the way mana can be stored in parts of the body. The only emotion involved is the desire to survive.

Rider was not a magus when he was alive. The knowledge that Servants gain from the Throne of Heroes must have informed him of what mana transfers entailed, if he hadn't already been aware of it, but it's unlikely that he would view it in the same way. To a normal person, sex is... well, it's different.

"...I know I'm not attractive," Waver continues, more subdued but still irritated, "but I can't let you be defeated because of my inability to provide mana. Just bear with it."

"It isn't that," Rider grumbles.

"Then what _is_ it, Rider?" Waver asks, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't want to hear you complaining because of your cultural preconceptions about what might save our lives."

Rider considers that for a moment, before his usual smile reappears. "I won't. If you don't complain because of yours."

"I don't have any..." Well, that's a useless argument to make with someone from ages ago. "I won't either. Now can we get started?" When Rider nods, Waver clambers next to him on the bed, and reaches - before being pulled into a kiss.

Waver didn't expect Rider to be gentle; it seemed like he couldn't, but in this case he must have been careful, because the feeling starts out light and almost exactly like he would expect his first kiss to be like in different circumstances. It deepens slowly, with Rider never rushing him and scaring him off. Not that he would be scared off, he already agreed to sleep with him, so kissing can't be much worse.

There's nothing practical about kissing. It has no part in the physical process of sex, and yet he can't bring himself to break away and do something useful. This is taking far too long, and the warm feeling in his chest, completely distinct from arousal, is unnecessary. Rider isn't even groping him, for goodness sake.

After a lot of impatient squirming, Rider finally stops kissing him long enough to get his shirt off. Again, this is something he didn't expect. His chest isn't even that much of an erogenous zone compared to a woman's, but he can't complain about all of the attention either. He agreed not to.

That doesn't keep him for reaching for the bottle of lubricant and putting it in Rider's hand - unfortunately, when Rider sets it aside and keeps leaving hickeys down his neck, he has to bite back a groan for a completely different reason.

Mercifully, Rider eventually gets the rest of their clothes off and even remembers to slick his fingers with the lube before beginning to stretch him. It's uncomfortable, but given that Rider is huge compared to him he's not surprised. Rider is still going too slowly.

Waver can't stand it any longer. "Just hurry up! Geeze, it's not like you have to do this for mana-"

Rider sighs. "Just forget about mana."

"Have you forgotten why we're doing this?!" Waver smacks Rider in the chest, although knowing him he can barely feel it. "If you want to back out-!"

"I'm not doing it because of that nonsense. I'm doing it because I like you."

Waver freezes.

All of the unnecessary things fall into place. For transferring mana, there's no reason to kiss or take such time if the sex can be accomplished without it. For being wanted or - he doesn't dare think 'loved', not yet - it's natural to be treated as well as he can, because this means something.

Now that he thinks about it, he doesn't mind it meaning something with Rider.

If sex were only a tool, he would only pay attention to the mechanics when it finally begins. Instead he finds that he wants to watch the expression on Rider's face, and he shivers when their gazes meet. The noises he's making as Rider presses deeper inside of him are embarrassing, yet he can't help being affected and it doesn't seem so bad a reaction anymore.

It's hard to imagine now how he could treat this as just a mechanism for giving his Servant mana, now that he's in the middle of it and hearing Rider groan his name like that. He doesn't know anything about how this would feel in any other situation, but this is, this is-

When Waver is in a state to think coherently again, his head is resting against Rider's chest with Rider's hand warm against his back. Cuddling has even less objective value than kissing. He loves it.


End file.
